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Pork Crown Roast with Apple & Sausage Dressing

Up here in the Northeast, once the first snow flies and the temps drop down to the 20s even the most enthusiastic BBQer needs to retire the smoker for the winter and bring the cooking inside. That’s exactly what I’ve done. I love “conventional” cookery almost as much as smoking. Winter is the perfect season for all those slow cooked delicacies – roasts, braised short ribs (YUM), stews, and soups!

This next recipe is perfect for Christmas or New Years day. If you have never had a crown roast of pork, you have been missing something extraordinary!

I made this for Christmas day along with my apple and sage dressing and Calvados gravy. Finish it off with some Brussel sprouts and it don’t get much better!

I have posted all three recipes for you to try! Buon Appetito!

CROWN ROAST OF PORK

Serves 12-14

1 – 10-12 pound pork rib roast (12-14 ribs) – have your butcher tie it in a crown and French the ribs, saves time and nine times out of ten, the butcher does a better job

1-2 TBS dry sage (+/- 30 leaves fresh)

4-5 cloves garlic

1 TBS dry rosemary (this is one of the few herbs that is more fragrant dry than fresh)

EVOO

Kosher salt

Butcher pepper

Tin foil cut into 2″x4″ strips (12-14 pieces depending on the number of ribs in the roast)

Combine first 5 ingredients in your food processor and pulse until you have made a mash. Add ½ cup of EVOO and continue to pulse.

Put roasting pan (with drippings) over medium heat and drizzle a 2 count of EVOO into the pan. Add the crushed garlic and onions into the pan and cook for about 5-7 minutes. **This might be a good time to check your roast and remove it if ready.

Remove the garlic and onion from the pan and discard.

Add the mash into the pan and cook well for about 10 – 15 minutes. Add extra EVOO if/as necessary. Once the mash has softened into a paste, add the Calvados. Cook off the alcohol (about 10 minutes). Sprinkle a layer of flour over the surface of the pan and mix in with a whisk, making sure there are no lumps. Add chicken stock and increase temperature to high bringing mixture to a boil then return to medium (add more flour if necessary but the gravy should not be too thinks). Cook for another 5 – 7 minutes to reduce liquid. Remove from heat and strain through a sieve to remove most of the mash – push some of the mash through to naturally thicken the gravy.